The common shovelnose ray, giant shovelnose ray or giant guitarfish (''Glaucostegus typus'') is a species of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

in the Rhinobatidae family found in the central

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

, ranging from India to the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

and northern Australia. It is found in shallow coastal areas to a depth of at least , including

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

and reportedly also in freshwaters. It reaches up to in length, and is greyish-brown to yellowish-brown above with a paler snout. This species has been tested for

colour vision Color vision, a feature of visual perception, is an ability to perceive differences between light composed of different frequencies independently of light intensity. Color perception is a part of the larger visual system and is mediated by a co ...

using choice experiments that control for brightness. It was the first rigorous behavioural evidence for colour vision in any

elasmobranch Elasmobranchii () is a subclass of Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish, including modern sharks ( division Selachii), and batomorphs (division Batomorphi, including rays, skates, and sawfish). Members of this subclass are characterised by h ...

Habitat

Glaucostegus typus inhabits a range of environments, including marine, brackish, and freshwater ecosystems. It is commonly found at depths ranging from intertidal zones to offshore continental shelves, demonstrating adaptability to both shallow and deeper water habitats.Source Name Here

References

common shovelnose ray common shovelnose ray Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Rajiformes-stub